The AXE

Just when you least expect it..........well maybe I did expect it. The Axe falls.
Last Friday was my last day with Empress International. The company was having issues and they decided to lay off two of us in the Los Angeles Office. The official story was the Economy. They agreed to a separation agreement and we are working through the financial details.

The real facts are always different. My three years with Empress had been good. My sales growth had been strong even last year during a rough economy. I sold 14 million dollars worth of seafood and my sales were up 6% over 2007. I exceeded projections and budget.

But...always a BUT: Things were not perfect. I was the highest paid sales person in the LA Office. I was successful because I sold my customers what they wanted and I told them the truth. If a product was questionable. I told them. If a product had been returned by other customers, I told my customers not to buy it. In general, I saw my role as working to help my customers. When Empress Buyers bought the wrong items or poor quality.....I told my customers.

This selling style and my 30 years of food experience led to disagreement. I often felt like the company was not interested in customers and more interested in covering up mistakes. Flawed decisions in management and purchasing were supposed to be solved by selling questionable products to customers. When customers complained, I was expected to refuse to accept claims.

The company was having financial problems and the economy was not helping make up for bad decision making. So, now I am off selling me. I'm 61 and I can retire at 66. That's just 59 months from now. Or, 1229 work days. My goal is to find a job that is fun, close to home and a place where I can work until I am 70. I will keep you updated on my new Job search. Let me know if you hear of anything.